Earth tamper



E. W. AUSTIN EARTH TAMPER May 20, 1941.

Filed Jan. 23, 1940 Patented May 20, 1941 UNiTED s Tar EARTH TAIWPER Application January 23, 1940, Serial No. 315,230

5 Claims.

My present invention relates to a tamper foot for earthmovers of the type including drums on which the tamper feet are mounted to project radially therefrom, the drum in turn being jo'srnaled on a frame which is drawn behind a tractor or the like.

The prime object of the invention is to provide a tamper foot which has a replaceable tamper foot cap which is effectively retained in position by a single bolt and yet does not become loosened as a result of impact of the tamper foot cap with a hard ground surface, the cap being thereby readily removable so that it can be replaced by a new cap when the old one is worn to such extent that it is no longer flt for use.

A further object is to provide a cap which includes a minimum amount of cast steel or other suitable material, so that the cap is relatively inexpensive to replace and replacement can be effected in a minimum of time due to the necessity of removing only one bolt and thereafter driving the cap out of position with a sledge hammer, driving a new one into position and reinserting the bolt.

Still a further object is to provide a tamper foot and cap combination in which the cap is held in position partially by hooking action and partially by bolting action, the hook lugs of the foot and cap being so shaped and interfitted that the cap must be partially driven into position and may be brought to its final position by tightening the bolt, the cap being thereafter retained rigidly in position by the hook means and the bolt means against even the severest of treatment, as when the tamper is pulled across hard ground or a pavement.

Still a further object is to provide coacting rib and depression means in the hook elements of the tamper foot and its cap which engage with each other when the hook elements are engaged and which thereafter prevent any lateral or side movement of the cap relative to the foot as a result of side thrusts.

Other objects, purposes and characteristic features of the present invention will be in part obvious from the accompanying drawing and in part pointed out as the description of the invention progresses. In describing the invention in detail, reference will be made to the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of an earth tamper to which my improved tamper foot construction has been applied;

Figure 2 is a separated perspective view of the tamper foot and the tamper foot cap, showing by dotted lines the flnal positionof the cap;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the tamper foot and tamper foot cap assembled together, the cap being shown by dotted lines in one of its positions prior to bEh" swung to its final position, and

Figures 4 and 5 are horizontal and vertical sectional views, respectively, on the lines'fl-d and 55 of Figure 3.

On the accompanying drawing I have used the reference character F to indicate generaiiy a main frame, P a pull bar therefor and D a drum rotatably mounted. on the frame F. The usual pull bar Jaw 8 is swivelly mounted at the front of the pull bar and terminates in a toggle 9 for connection with a tractor or the like. Projecting radially from the frame F are a plurality of tamper feet TF provided with tamper foot caps C.

Each tamper foot TF comprises attaching flanges I2 and a shank l0 extending therethrough and terminating in a hook lug i3. The flanges i2 are secured as by welding Id to the surface of the drum D, so that the shanks l0 project radially therefrom. The hook lug l3, it will be noted, projects forwardly with respect to the direction of travel of the drum D, such direction being toward the right when the tamper is viewed as in Figure 1.

The cap C comprises a head l5 having a hook lug i6 along one edge and a bolt flange l1 along its other edge. The hook lugs 13 and it are adapted to coact with each other, as shown in Figure 3, by dotted lines, and thereafter the cap is forced to approximately the full line position by the use of a sledge hammer. Finally a bolt i8 is passed through a. squared opening IQ of the bolt flange l1 and through a squared opening [9 of the bolt flange l1 and through a perforation 20 of the tamper foot TF. The flange I1 is countersunk as at 2| for the head 22 of the bolt is, while the squared opening is receives the squared portion 23 of the bolt. After the bolt is so positioned, a lock washer 24 is placed on it and a lock nut 25 is then screwed onto the bolt and effects a drawing action of the flange I1 toward the tamper foot TF. This drawing action causes the hook lug ii of the cap C to pivot in a seat 26 of the tamper foot and effect a tight engagement at points indicated at 21 in Figure 3, thereby putting the parts under a strain which serves to retain them tightly engaged even though the tamper feet and caps are subjected to the severest of uses. The hook lug I6 has a cutaway part at 2! to facilitate the use of a socket wrench on the lock nut 25.

To prevent lateral movement of the cap C relative to the tamper foot 'rr, I provide a rib I! on the cap between the side edges thereof and between the head II and the hook lug II. The rib 2!, it will be noted, as shown in Figure 4, has tapered sides and fits into a depression II of the hook lug I! of the tamper foot, which depression also has tapered sides. When out on the line H of Figure 3, the appearance of the coacting parts is as illustrated in Figure 5. The tapered fit of the parts 29 and 30 serves to tighten them with relation to each other as the nut II is tightened on the bolt l8, thus eliminating any possibility of side movement of the cap relative to the temper foot.

My tamper foot and replaceable cap combination provide an inexpensive replaceable type of tamper foot, inasmuch as wear from use all occurs on the cap itself. In Figure 3, by dash lines I show a worn cap and when the cap is worn to this extent then a new one of the desired shape, having the forwardly projecting corner at ll to secure efllcient results, may be substituted for the worn cap. The use of a single bolt simplifles the replacement of the cap and reduces the time for replacement to a minimum. I have found, however, that a single bolt when com bined with the type of hooking engagement I disclose, results in a structure that eliminates any possibility of looseness developing between the parts.

As many changes could be made in the foregoing construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be considered as fallingtherebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an earth tamper, a frame, a drum journaled thereon. a plurality of radially arranged tamper feet projecting from the surface of said drum, each of said tamper feet being provided with a hook shaped end portion, and replaceable tamper foot caps on said tamper feet, each of said tamper foot caps having an open sided interfitting recess to cooperate with said hook shaped end portion of the foot, said cap having a. bolt flange opposite the hoop shaped portion of the foot, single bolt means through said flange and tamper foot, said hook shaped portion and recess including a projection interfitting with a depression to prevent lateral movement of'the cap relative to the foot as a result of side thrusts.

2. In an earth tamper, a frame, a drum journaled thereon, a plurality of tamper feet projecting radially from the surface of said drum and provided with hook shaped end portions, and replaceable tamper foot caps on said tamper feet.

1 said caps having hook shaped recesses interfltting hook of said foot, said portion being bolted to said foot, said hook shaped end and said recess being of irregular shape laterally of said foot and cap to prevent movement of the cap relative to the foot as a result of side thrusts.

4. An earth tamper comprising a frame, a drum journaled thereon, a tamper foot projecting from said drum, said tamper foot comprising a shank secured at its inner end to said drum and terminating at its outer end in a hook shaped portion, a replaceable tamper foot cap for said foot comprising a head having a recess to receive the hook shaped end of said tamper foot and a bolt flange adapted to assume a position adjacent said shank and opposite said hook when the cap is placed on said foot, said foot and cap having interfltting rib and depression means to prevent lateral movement of the cap relative to the foot as a result of side thrusts, and a bolt through the foot and flange and effective when tightened to draw said recess into snug cooperation with said hook and said rib and depression means into tight relative engagement.

5. In an earth tamper, a tamper foot comprising a shank terminating at its outer end in a hook shaped portion, a replaceable tamper foot cap for said foot comprising a head having a re.- cess to receive the hook shaped portion of said tamper foot and having a bolt flange adapted to assume a position adjacent said foot and opposite its hook when the cap is placed thereon, and a bolt through the foot and bolt flange and effective when tightened to draw said hook of said foot and saidrecess of said cap into tight engagement with each other.

ELLSWORTH W. AUSTIN. 

